Instructional Resources for Library Instructors: Optimize Your LibGuides

Fundamental principles of design applied to LibGuides: 

Emphasis: 

Essential Question: What is the first piece of information my audience needs to know? 

Balance  & Alignment:

Essential Questions: How is your content distributed across each page? How does its positioning influence how the viewer will navigate the information? 

Contrast: 

Essential Question: How do you create space and distinctions between the various elements on your page?

Repetition:

Essential Questions: Do you have a maximum of two font types? How have you used font size, font type, size, and color consistently across the pages of your guide? 

Proportion:

Essential Questions: How have you grouped related information on each page? How have you sized these different elements to encourage sequential navigation on each page? 

Movement:

Essential Question: How do you intend the reader to navigate through your entire guide? How do you intend for your reader to navigate through each page? 

Whitespace: 

Essential Question: How are you incorporating negative space around the most important elements in your guide?

Blog: The 7 Principles of Design by Meg Reid 

• Consider your users
  • When designing a LibGuide, think about what our users need to do and how your guide can help them do that.
• Make sure content is up to date
  • A lot of maintenance goes into ensuring your Libguide's content is reliable and up to date.
• Make information easy to find
  • Use short, descriptive titles
  • F-shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/
  • Use tags to create keywords so that your guide is easier to locate
  • Help users navigate: https://webguide.ucsb.edu/web-accessibility/
  • Use friendly URLs: https://webguide.ucsb.edu/urls/
• Be organized and concise
  • ​View CUNY's Best Practices guide, which includes sample guides and a best practices slideshow: http://guides.cuny.edu/c.php?g=202985&p=1397474
• Plan for the future
  •  Be selective about what you choose to create and be intentional in creating content that can be updated as easily as possible.

**The Library's Remote Resources & Services page is being updated regularly and may be helpful for you to include on own pages**

Your LibGuides should be organized with your user in mind. How might you be able to use your LibGuides differently to facilitate remote instruction?

• Your LibGuide can be linked out to from the class GauchoSpace as a resource
• LibGuides can be used effectively to organize sets of resources or link out to additional relevant content, including trial databases and online collections
• Think about the learning outcomes you have for your instruction sessions, and how your LibGuide can support those outcomes
• Consider how your LibGuide may fit into your lesson plan. It may be more useful for your guide to focus on assignment support, or on a clear user-task that complements your instruction session

Making Accessible Word Documents

• Include alternative text with images and tables
• Use built-in headings and styles
• Use hyperlink text, don't just include the link

Note: If you are using Word, Powerpoint or Excel, there is a built in accessibility checker you can use. 

Making Accessible PowerPoints

• Describe any images using alt text. Recommendations are descriptive text should be limited to 120 characters. Imagine describing this image to someone over the phone (Michigan State University Resource)
• Use a table of contents and headers in your slides (Michigan State University Resource)
• Use contrasting background and text colors